OT: Are you rooting for Notre Dame?

Naturally, Michigan fans are born with a disdain for Notre Dame. Recent years, however, have given us a more than sufficient dislike of any and all things SEC. That being said, who will you be rooting for in the NC game?

For me, my hatred of the SEC will win out here and I'll be rooting for the Irish.

Would rather root for the SEC to win it's 100th in a row, including Saban grabbing his 4th, then root for ND. I don't like Brian Kelly, I don't like most of their fans, and I'm quite sure that if their was the suspicion of football-player-rape-turned-bullying that led to a female student's suicide at Alabama, ND fans would be falling all over themselves to smear Bama*... instead, all I hear about is Saint Te'o (who, it hardly needs to be said, does seem like an incredible kid).

*Not trying to stir shirt from the thread about that WashPost blog from last month; rather, I merely think it's safe to say that ND fans would be at their sanctimonious best if something like that was alleged at another school.

For me that was the worst part about the Heisman fight between Aggies and Domers. Hearing Domer fans trying to smear Manziel for that bar-fight he was involved with, when their players are hardly squeaky clean

In one way, it makes sense...considering our close loss to them earlier this year, seeing them go all the way is a small validation. But the downside is that I have to listen to them thump their collective chest all winter, spring and fall until next season. I really can't say enough times how much I hate the ESSS EEEE SEEEE.

Another National Championship for Notre Dame isn't good for our recruiting Midwestern prospects. We'll lose the strong Catholics to ND fairly often as it is (e.g. Midland, MI OT Steve Elmer), and I'd rather they not have this to throw against us.

Alabama already has recent championships which help with recruiting. A third won't change how recruits view them nearly as much as an ND championship will help them.

They basically fit the mold of a B1G team and a win by them will help out everyone not in the SEC, esp the B1G bc we will get to play them next season.

Also, the SEC is 3-3 in bowls right now. They lose the NC and that means UF, LSU, and Bama all lost. These are consistently considered the best teams in the SEC. They all lose and maybe we won't see 5 of the top 7 on next years poll in the SEC. Esp if OU beats a&m and the SEC has a losing bowl record...

This will go along way to helping out the B1G as well.

As far as ND recruiting vs. UM, the damage is already done. Win or lose they will be a tough beat on the recruiting trail. For the above reasons I say go ND.

No one outside of the Big Ten thinks like that though. No one gives a shit about academics, all they care about is ESS EEE SEE SPEED. If ND wins, I guarantee you no one will be talking about their graduation rate. It doesn't help the Big Ten at all, in fact it hurts everyone in the region in recruiting. Sure, they've already got the hype train rolling, but you really think Brian Kelly flashing his NC ring in front of recruits a la Urban Meyer won't have a huge effect? The net result of ND winning is overwhelmingly negative IMO, where as Alabama winning will essentially be expected and status quo.

I was talking about the perception as a northern/midwest team. The MSM has this view as do most CFB fans. I mean we compete with them in recruiting right and we recruit the midwest heavily with some CA, and FL sprinkled in.

Nobody looks at ND and thinks SPEED. ND winning will help debunk some of the perception of the SEC which is a positve for UM and the B1G. At this point anything hurting the SEC is positive for the B1G.

What good is beating ND in recruiting if the SEC has 2 or 3 teams in the CFB top 4/playoffs every year? As it stands now the SEC will get 2 every year so everyone else (B1G included) is figting for 2 spots. In that world do you like UM's chances? In that world the B1G championship isn't enough, you need to be undefeated. Or at least not lose after October.

Yeah, I misinterpreted your post. The point remains though, while it'd be great for a non SEC team to win it, when that team is one of your team's two primary rivals in recruiting, it's still a net negative.

IMO you are greatly overestimating the geography knowledge of the average college football fans. There are educated coastal types whose USA map consists of NYC, LA, Florida, and a couple of ski resorts in Colorado. Ask them where Michigan is relative to Montana and you'll get a blank stare. You think they know where ND is?

I'm exaggerating just a bit. ND is a "national" school to most people. Its actual location is irrelevant.

I hate the SEC but it is what it is, Alabama losing isn't going to change anything. On the other hand, ND winning will refuel their hype train for another century, you'd never hear the end of their "Return to Glory." Their delusional fans will demand ND be treated like NC contenders every year even as they go 9-3, which is where they should have been this year if not for extraordinary luck and favorable calls by refs. Even if they weren't ND, I still couldn't stomach rooting for them because they frankly don't belong there. They also compete with us directly in recruiting.

I hate them because they think they're special, that they deserve to be relevant despite decades of mediocraty and the hype they manage to continue generating because of their large fanbase, not their product on the field. I hate that they don't think they need to be part of a conference. I hate their sweetheart deal with their own network complete with homer announcers fawning over every thing they do. Above all, I hate the fact they think they have a monopoly on tradition and academic excellence.

I understand your points about the conference and their TV deal, though the latter seems more like jealousy. I just don't find the fact that they have a large fanbase or the fact that they have been mediocre to be reason enough for me to "hate" them.

Also, I'm not really sure about them thinking they have a monopoly on tradition or academic excellence. I would hope they would see Michigan as very similar in both regards.

that actually got an MGoDiscussion on the book started on the front page. I had it as my signature from that post until early-2012 or so, when I went to linking to a family business in Ann Arbor, then went back to it when Brian emailed about moderating about a month ago since I thought the linking might not be as appropriate any more.

I've been toying with changing it in the past week or so, but I haven't come up with anything that tops a positive quote about Hoke mixed with an Atlas reference.

ND fans/alumni have no self-awareness. They do not feel they have equals in academics, football, community service or religion. I have not met an ND alumnus who has the ability to be critical of himself or his school. 20+ years of bolivia did nothing to their ego. If I'm jealous of anything, it's this.

Maybe some of it is true of Michigan fans, but this is a Michigan Blog, and I am a Michigan Fan. If anything, it's even more reason for us to be natural enemies. And it's not jealousy, it's about bringing delusional fans down a peg.

Yes, no question. My step-dad is an alum, and I've got good friends that went there as well. My biggest problem with ND fans is that they act as if ND has unparalleled tradition. So that's what holds me back... but we're not just rooting against Alabama... we're rooting against the SEC. The SEC has been riding the coat tails of Alabama, LSU (and i guess Florida, but Urban's gone.)